Festival of the River makes waves with multicultural celebration
Belfast’s Lagan walkway was awash with colour and music at the launch of this year’s popular Féile na hAbhann festival.
Thousands of people are expected to attend the riverside events, which showcase Belfast’s multicultural heritage through art, music, dance and food.
A total of £7,218 of Community Cohesion funding for the festival was provided by the Housing Executive.
Féile na hAbhann, which means Festival of the River in Irish, is based around the river Lagan and hosts a week of community events supported by Belfast City Council, Féile an Phobail and local groups. The festival will run until 12th August.
Lisa Hull, the Housing Executive’s Good Relations Officer, said: “Féile na hAbhann – Festival of the River is a fantastic festival which promotes multi-culturalism in our city.
“It brings together art, music and food from all over the world and showcases the fantastic work of ethnic minority groups and the positive impact they have on our areas.
“We are delighted to fund projects like these which strengthen community cohesion and help develop positive relationships between people from all backgrounds in our communities.”
Heather Floyd, from LORAG and one of the organisers of Féile na hAbhann, said: “Funding we received from the Housing Executive enabled us to grow the cultural diversity element of the festival.
“It allowed us to add artists and acts from cultures all around the world living in Belfast and bring that culture to the festival.
“Féile na hAbhann gives people the opportunity to engage, try something new, and develops key friendships and partnerships between established communities and newcomers.”
This year’s festival runs until Tuesday 12th August.